On May 6, 2015, the City received an application to amend the former City of Toronto Zoning By-law No. 438-86 to permit a 4,704 square metre, four-storey, 43 unit residential apartment building with a Floor Space Index of 1.81. The proposal seeks to refine the current site specific zoning by-law, which enables the development of a four-storey apartment building containing a combination of seniors' housing and a place of worship.

The place of worship and community program space are not part of the current proposal. Proposed changes to the previously approved by-law involve:

An increase in the required parking to be provided as shown in Table 1;

Definition of "apartment building" be deleted, which specifically stated, among other things, that "dwelling units located therein shall only be occupied by seniors"; and

Map 2 to the by-law be replaced with a map reflective of the proposed setbacks and heights, which vary from the earlier approved project.

The previously approved project had been stepped back along the sides and at the top of the fourth floor at the rear of the building. The current proposal has not been stepped back at these locations, but has been stepped back 0.9 m from the third to the fourth floors at the front of the building for a portion of the fourth floor.

The following table compares the proposal to the previously approved project:

Table 1: Project Comparison – 100 Ranleigh Avenue

Approved Under Previous Project

Current Proposal

Use

Senior's life-lease and multi-purpose space/church

Luxury rental apartments

Storeys

4

4

Gross Floor Area

5102 sq. m.

4,704 sq. m.

Floor Space Index

1.97

1.81

Units

46

43

Parking Spaces

39

47

Min. Rear Yard Setback

7.5 m

7.5 m

Min. Front Yard Setback

3.4 m to balcony

5.5 m to main wall

Min. West Side Yard Setback

1.5 m to covered portion of underground garage

1.5 m to covered portion of underground garage

Min. East Side Yard Setback

4.5 m to balcony

5.5 m to main wall

Max. Height

15.8 m including mechanical penthouse

15.8 m including mechanical penthouse

Building Depth

43 m

43.7

Interior Courtyard

No

Yes

A total of 47 parking spaces are proposed, with four spaces proposed on the surface for short term visitor parking and the remainder underground. An interior courtyard located on the first and second floors is proposed. The proposed unit mix is 24 one-bedroom units, 15 two-bedroom units and 4 three-bedroom units. The proposed amenity space totals 273 square metres (86 square metres indoors and 186 square metres outdoors).

The Planning Context as it relates to the Official Plan and the Zoning By-law.

The site is designated Neighbourhoods on Map 16 – Land Use Plan in the Official Plan. Neighbourhoods are considered physically stable areas made up of residential uses in lower scale buildings such as detached houses, semi-detached houses, duplexes, triplexes and townhouses, as well as interspersed walk-up apartments that are no higher than four storeys. Parks, low scale local institutions, home occupations, cultural and recreational facilities and small-scale retail, service and office uses are also provided for in Neighbourhoods.

The stability of Toronto's Neighbourhoods physical character is one of the keys to Toronto's success and development criteria has been included in the Official Plan to help respond to new developments. New development is to respect and reinforce the existing physical patterns in Neighbourhoods.

Section 4.1.5 - Development in established Neighbourhoods will respect and reinforce the existing physical character of the neighbourhood, including in particular;

Patterns of streets, blocks and lanes, parks and public building sites;

Size and configuration of lots;

Heights, massing, scale and dwelling type of nearby properties;

Prevailing building type(s);

Setbacks of buildings from street or streets;

Prevailing patterns of rear and side yard setbacks and landscape open space;

Continuation of special landscape or built-form features that contribute to the unique physical character of a neighbourhood; and

Conservation of heritage buildings, structures and landscapes.

No changes will be made through rezoning, minor variance, consent or other public action that are out of keeping with the physical character of the neighbourhood.

The prevailing type will be the predominant form of development in the neighbourhood. Some Neighbourhoods will have more than one prevailing building type. In such cases, a prevailing building type in one neighbourhood will not be considered when determining the building type in another neighbourhood.

The Official Plan also recognizes that scattered throughout many Neighbourhoods are properties that differ from the prevailing patterns of lot size, configuration and orientation. Typically, these lots are sites of former non-residential uses such as industry, institution, retail stores, a utility corridor, or are lots that were passed over in the first wave of urbanization. In converting these sites to residential uses, there is a genuine opportunity to add quality of Neighbourhood life by filling in the "gaps" and extending streets and paths. Due to the site configuration and orientation, it is often not possible or desirable to provide the same site standards and pattern of development in these infill projects as in the surrounding Neighbourhood. Special infill criteria are provided for dealing with the integration of new development for these sites, and for intensification on existing apartment sites in Neighbourhoods.

Section 4.1.9 - Infill development on properties that vary from the local pattern in terms of lot size, configuration and/or orientation in established Neighbourhoods, are required to meet certain development criteria. This includes;

have heights, massing and scale appropriate for the site and compatible with that permitted by the zoning for adjacent and nearby residential properties;

provide adequate privacy, sunlight and sky views for residents of new and existing buildings by ensuring adequate distance and separation between building walls and using landscaping, planting and fencing to enhance privacy where needed;

front onto existing or newly created public streets wherever possible, with no gates limiting public access; and

locate and screen service areas and garbage storage to minimize the impact on existing and new streets and residences.

Chapter Three contains policies to guide decision making based on the Official Plan's goals for the human, built, economic and natural environments.

Chapter Three – Built Form - Building a Successful City identifies that most of the City’s future development will be infill and redevelopment and, as such, new development will be located and organized to fit with its existing and/or planned context; locate and organize vehicle parking, vehicular access, service areas and utilities to minimize their impact on the property and on surrounding properties; be massed and its exterior façade will be designed to fit harmoniously into its existing and/or planned context; be massed to define the edges of streets, parks and open spaces at good proportion; provide amenity for adjacent streets and open spaces to make these areas attractive, interesting, comfortable and functional for pedestrians; and, significant new multi-unit residential development will provide indoor and outdoor amenity space for residents for the new development, such as access to outdoor amenity spaces such as balconies, terraces, courtyards, rooftop gardens and other types of outdoor spaces.

Chapter Three – Housing requires a full range of housing, in terms of form, tenure and affordability, across the City and within neighbourhoods, be maintained to meet the current and future needs of residents.

The site has been excluded from the new comprehensive Zoning By-law 569-2013, and continues to be covered by the former City of Toronto By-law 438-86, as amended.

Under By-law 438-86, the site is subject to a site specific zoning by-law No. 469-2013 which permits apartment buildings, subject to a site specific definition which indicates that the dwelling units located therein shall only be occupied by seniors. Further the apartment building may include a place of worship, multi-purpose space, community facilities and accessory uses such as offices and an underground parking garage.

According to by-law 469-2013, the apartment building is permitted to have a maximum non-residential gross floor area of 390 square metres, and the built form is required to be wholly within the building footprint and heights provided within the By-law.